Born: 1886, Shipley
Died: 27 October 1914
Buried: No known grave
Address: 5 Hope Street, off Ives Street, Shipley
Parents: John and Alice
Spouse: Gertrude
Siblings: Sarah, Edward, Annie, Ida, Willie, Ethel, Mary
Occupation: Galvaniser, Shipley Tank Co
Organisations/clubs:
Military
Rank: Pte
Medals/awards:
Rolls of Honour: St Paul’s, Shipley; Le Touret Memorial
Children: one son
Regiment: King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
Frederick Scarfe
Fred Scarfe was the fifth of eight
children of Shipley quarryman John
and his wife Alice who was born in
New Holland, Lincolnshire and
who in 1901 were living in
Constance Street, Shipley, having
moved there from Upperhead Row,
Idle in the previous ten years.
As a reservist, Fred was one of the
first men from Shipley to go to war
and one of the first to die.
On 11 December 1914, the Shipley
Times & Express reported:
‘Another Shipley home has been
bereaved as a result of the war. Pte
Fred Scarfe, a Reservist in the
King’s Own Yorkshire Light
Infantry, who lived at 5 Hope
Street, is included amongst the
fallen.
‘On Sunday morning Mrs Scarfe
received official intimation that her
husband had been killed in action
in France on October 27th.
‘It is a singular coincidence that on
that date Mrs Scarfe received a
letter from her husband, written on
October 21st in which he said he
was “in the pink.”
‘After asking his wife to forward
him a couple of packets of
cigarettes, the writer went on to
say: “You do not know how glad
our troops will be when this is all
over. Anyone not out here cannot
imagine what the fighting is like.
We will have a beanfeast when I
come home.”
‘Scarfe, who was well-known in
the Shipley district, was employed
by the Shipley Tank Company Ltd.,
Bowling Back Lane, Bradford
‘He leaves a widow and one child,
a boy, who was six years of age on
Tuesday last. The greatest
sympathy is felt with the family in
their sad bereavement.’
The following week there was a
report of a memorial service at St
Paul’s Church.
‘A pleasing feature was that a
number of Boy Scouts, anxious to
pay a tribute of respect to one of
our local heroes, marched to the
church in a drenching shower of
rain.
‘Appropriate prayers were offered
and one of the special hymns for
men during war was sung. The
vicar, Rev Bernard Herklots,
preached.’
